


Paperwork Sucks

by Kurapikababu



Series: ASL in College [1]
Category: One Piece
Genre: Alternate Universe - Coffee Shops & Cafés, Alternate Universe - College/University, Alternate Universe - High School, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Does this one count as Coffee Shop!AU cause it's in a coffee shop? lmao, Gen, i feel i should be worried that there is a separate tag for NORMAL High school.....
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-06-23
Updated: 2016-06-23
Packaged: 2018-07-16 04:34:48
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,690
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7252258
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kurapikababu/pseuds/Kurapikababu
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Sabo and Ace are discussing their plans for life after High School.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Paperwork Sucks

**Author's Note:**

> I don't know why i'm posting this; I have so many other things I need to finish first lmao
> 
> But anyway, this story/series is based on the American college system. Based on [this post](http://kurapikababu.tumblr.com/post/146022956110/so-i-went-to-my-college-today-to-try-and-get).

**** “I have to do  _ what _ now?? You know what...I could just not go. That’s always an option.” One boy said, pushing backward away from his laptop. The other boy sighed.

“No. You’re going and that’s that.” He told the first boy sternly.

The first boy groaned and put his head face-down on the table next to his computer. He grumbled something. The second boy didn’t hear him and asked him to repeat himself. 

Speaking louder, he grumbled, “But this is stupid. I have to turn in my  _ immunization record _ to the school. That’s so dumb and annoying…” The second boy rolled his eyes, and pushed his blonde hair out of his face.

“Are you complaining because you  _ actually _ think it’s dumb?...or is it because of Gramps?” He asked. The only response was another groan. He sighed again. “Ace, seriously. Don’t decide not to go just because you have to get a little bit of paperwork sent in.”

Ace titled his head up to look at him, but he kept his chin on the table. “It’s not just the little bit of paperwork. It’s that I have to go with Gramps to get on base to go to the hospital and then get the paperwork. And the entire way there, and especially while we’re there, he’s going to keep trying to recruit me.”

Sabo grimaced. “He still hasn’t given up on that yet?” 

Ace sat up and shook his head. “Nope!” He responded, mouth popping on the ‘P’ sound. “ ‘ _ I’m sure you’d like it if you actually gave it a try _ .’ ‘ _ It could pay for your college. _ ’ ‘ _ It’s a good change of pace! Going someplace else for a bit would be good for you.’ _ I don’t know how many times i’ve heard him say all that to me. And i’m tired of it.” 

Sabo looked at him sympathetically. “How about I come with you then? So you’re not alone with him.” He offered. 

Ace smiled at him sadly. “I wish… It’s already risky enough, you meeting me here at this coffee shop. You coming with me and Gramps is just too risky. What if your folks found out? You know they don't like you hanging around us.”

Sabo snorted and took a sip of his drink. “Like I give a damn. You two are my brothers. Like  _ hell _ i’m staying away from you two just because they told me so.” 

Ace smiled at Sabo, before sighing. “Still… I don’t want to risk it. Your folks are nuts. I wouldn’t put it past them to get a restraining order on us.” 

Sabo thought about telling Ace that they had actually considered it already, but he decided not to. Ace was upset enough as it was about Garp and the immunization records; there was no need to worsen his mood.

“...Fine. But only if you actually go and get the papers, and send them to the school.” Sabo told him. Ace shot him a glare that had no real heat in it.

“I still don’t like this…” Ace grumbled, leaning towards his laptop to see what other paperwork, if any, that he had to worry about. He still had to apply for some scholarships and housing.

They sat there for about five minutes of silence. Sabo was eating and drinking, while Ace was working; the sounds of the coffee shop filled in the space where their conversation had been. 

Eventually Ace spoke, “So you know where you’re going yet?”

“Mmum oor edd.” Sabo mumbled through a mouth full of muffin.

Ace looked up at him. “In english, please?”

He swallowed and took a sip of his drink before speaking, “Not sure yet. I have a school in mind but…” He trailed off, looking away thoughtfully.

“But...what?” Ace asked, encouraging him to continue. 

Sabo let out a breath before he answered, “You know my folks… They probably won’t let me go where I want.”

Ace stuck his tongue out at nothing in particular. “Have you talked with them about it yet? Or rather, have you listened to them lecture about it yet?” 

Sabo shook his head. “Thankfully, not yet. I’m sending in applications to schools on the off chance that they actually let me go where I want.”

Ace took a sip of his drink. “I hope it works out. It would seriously suck if they forced you to do what they want still. We’ll be adults in a few months and they need to recognize that fact.”

Sabo snorted. “That’s probably not going to happen. Not anytime soon anyway.”

“Yeah, probably not.” He agreed. “That’s about as likely as the old man giving up on trying to get us to join the military.” 

Sabo nodded his agreement. He looked down at his empty plate and his nearly empty drink. “I’m gonna get some more, want anything?” He asked as he stood up. 

“Hmm. A sandwich please. If I have to deal with the old man, i’m not doing it on an empty stomach.” 

Sabo chuckled. “I’ll make it two then.” 

Ace smiled at him. “Thanks.” He returned to his work while Sabo went to put in their orders.

A few minutes later Sabo returned, juggling food and a drink. “Here ya go.” He said as he placed Ace’s sandwiches down on the table near him.

“Thank you.” Ace said, before grabbing the first sandwich and taking a bite.  

Sabo sat down and dug into his own sandwich. “So what are you two gonna do about Luffy’s paperwork for college? I’m guessing Garp still isn’t aware of Luffy’s grade skipping.” 

Ace nodded, finishing the bite he just took. “Nope. Still not a clue. I wouldn’t be surprised if the geezer misses our graduation.”

Sabo smiled sympathetically. “I’m not looking forward to the possibility of you two going off to school somewhere far away from me, but I’m more than ready for you guys to get away from him. He’s not as bad as my folks but he’s still not good either..”

Ace took a sip of his drink, thinking. “I’m not one hundred percent sure what we’re going to do yet. Lu probably isn’t going to go to college yet though.”

Sabo’s eyes widened in surprise. “Wait. You mean he’s gonna be left here alone?!” He asked, sounding slightly panicked. 

Ace took another bite of his sandwich and nodded. “Lu understands and he’s okay with waiting a year. If he went now, the first time he comes back here, Gramps won’t let him leave again. That’s  _ if _ he doesn’t throw a fit and try to pull Luffy out before then.” 

He finished his first sandwich and sat back in his seat, one arm slumping over the back of the chair. “I’ve been working for a while now to save up for a place of our own. Lu and I figured we’d run into this issue, so I got some jobs and we started saving.”

Sabo was about to argue how leaving Luffy alone was a bad idea, but he stopped himself. After a moment of thinking it over he spoke, “...I don’t like the idea of him being alone but you two getting a place of your own  _ is _ a good idea. You won’t have to come back here during breaks and when the semester ends.”

“Exactly.” Ace said, leaning forward so that his elbow rested on the table with one finger extended. “I mean, I don’t  _ want _ to leave him alone. You know that. I did think of just going to a community college here and transferring when Lu goes to college.. But a  _ certain _ pair of brothers yelled at me not to do that.” He gave Sabo a pointed look, while crossing his arms.

“We’ve already been over this, Ace. You’re going to the school you want to go to. No transferring after a year or whatnot. You. Are. Going.” Sabo told him. Ace grumbled under his breath while looking away. Sabo merely smirked. 

“So, when are you going to get your record?” Sabo asked.

Ace thought about it for a minute, his expression still grumpy. “Might see about going this weekend. That or on friday. Lu and I get out of class early that day.”

Sabo frowned. “Won’t Gramps question why Lu’s leaving early as well?”

Ace paused, blinked a few times, then slapped his forehead. “I forgot. Looks like we’ll have to go during the weekend. That’s not going to be fun. The old man will take the day off and I really don’t want to spend a whole day with him..”

“I can see if I can get away to keep Luffy company.” Sabo suggested.  

Ace stared at him. “Are you sure? Are you even going to be able to get away in the middle of the day?” He asked, unsure.

Sabo shrugged. “I won’t know until I try. Besides, it’s been awhile since i’ve seen Lu. It’ll be nice to see him and spend some time with him again.”

Ace smiled. “I know he’ll be happy to see you. Recently he’s been griping about how we’ve haven’t seen you in so long.” His smile turned to a frown.

Sabo laughed lightly, amused. “Why am I not surprised. But still, it hasn’t been  _ that _ long since I last saw you two.”

Ace stared at him. “...Sabo. It’s been two and half months. It  _ has _ been that long since we last saw you.” He reminded him before reaching to grab his other sandwich. 

“That’s… Really? It’s been  _ that _ long?” His face scrunched up in a frown. Ace simply nodded, chewing on his food. “Well, i’m guess i’m long overdue for a visit anyway.” He chuckled.

Ace rolled his eyes before smiling. “Ya think?” 

Before either of them could speak, music started playing nearby. Ace looked around for its source before Sabo pulled his phone out of his pocket. 

Ace raised an eyebrow at him. “Really? You nerd…”

“What??” Sabo asked incredulously. “I like this song..” He stated defensively.

“That’s a song from a video game Bo… I know i’ve teased you about the resemblance to the character once or twice-”

“A little more than twice actually.”

“-but I didn’t think you’d make one of the songs your  _ ringtone _ . Nerd.” Ace teased, a smirk on his face.

Sabo huffed in embarrassment before checking who was calling. “It’s my parents…”

Ace’s mirth instantly died. He frowned. “Yuck..”

Sabo smiled before answering the call. “Hello..Father.” 

Ace sat there in silence listening to Sabo’s conversation, resisting the urge to make faces at the phone. If Sabo laughed, it would only get him in trouble.

But it was still very tempting.

“I apologize. The student council meeting ran longer than I thought it would.”

“Right now i’m at a coffee shop getting a drink.”

“No, i’m not. I have two essays due this week plus I have to work on stuff for the school fair later this month. I also have physics and calculus homework. I was going to work on all that tonight.”

“Yes sir.”

“I understand. I’ll hurry up.”

Ace couldn’t really make out what Outlook had been saying, but there was no mistaking the  _ click _ signaling that he had hung up without saying goodbye.

“That’s a lot of work you’ve got to do..” Ace said, feeling slightly bad that he’d taken up a good amount of his brother's time, when he had so much to do.

Sabo smirked. “Don’t feel guilty. I can tell by the look on your face.” He answered Ace’s unspoken question. “I finished my essays already and one of the other StuCo students is helping me with the stuff for the fair. I only really have to worry about the homework.”

Ace eyed him skeptically. Sabo rolled his eyes. “Seriously Ace. I’m fine.”

Ace sighed, relenting. “Fine. But it sounded like you won’t be if you don’t get home quickly.” He added unhappily.

Sabo’s looked down, hiding his dark expression from Ace. “That’s not my home.”

“I know Bo.” Sabo looked up at him and Ace smiled. Sabo smiled back.

“I should probably get going though..” He said as he stood up, grabbing his trash. Ace started packing up his stuff.

When Sabo gave him a questioning look he said, “You have to go but that doesn’t mean I can’t walk with you for a few minutes.”

That got a laugh out of Sabo. “I suppose not.” The two finished cleaning and packing up; grabbing their drinks, they left the shop.

“It’s a good thing I just ordered a new drink. I won’t have to wait for one to prove that I was really stopping at a coffee shop.” Sabo mused, staring at the drink in his hand.

Ace snorted. “It’s rather twisted that you have to prove where you said you’ve been…” he said shoving his hands into his pockets.

“I know. But I only have to deal with it for a little while long.” He said, before adding, “Hopefully.”

“Hopefully.” Ace agreed. “So you said you’ve been sending in applications. You gotten accepted anywhere yet?”

Sabo nodded. “A few actually. But hiding the letters from the schools has been somewhat of a challenge. I’m glad my room has a window that lets me see when the mail arrives.”

Ace laughed after a moment. When Sabo stared at him in confusion, he explained. “Didn’t you say your room was on the second floor?” Sabo nodded. “I’m pretty sure you’re not using the front door to get the mail, so i’m just thinking about their faces if they ever saw you climbing in and out of your window.”

Rolling his eyes, Sabo responded, “I’m sure it’d be quite a sight. I just wish I didn’t have to go through all the work to hide it from them. The mailman has started expecting me when he comes. ‘ _None_ _today lad._ ’ or ‘ _Got a letter and a package for ya today._ ’” He imitated badly. “Email works just as fine..” He mumbled.

“While you’re stuck playing monkey to avoid your folks, I  _ have _ to go through the old man to get my stuff for school..” Ace grumbled. 

They sighed in unison. “But it should all be worth it in the end, right?” Sabo reminded them both. 

Ace nodded. “It should. If a few car rides is the price for getting away from him once and for all, then I’ll suck it up and deal with it.” 

Sabo smiled. Their walking came to a stop when they came to an intersection. “Guess this is where we part..” Sabo said sadly.

“Yeah. Guess so.” 

“I’ll try my best to get away so Luffy’s not left alone. What time do you two get out on Friday?” 

Ace thought about it for a second. “Well, about an hour after lunch. But the old man is going to take a bit to get there. He’s always late.. So maybe shoot for an hour and a half to two hours after lunch.” He suggested.

“That’s during my world lit class. That teacher likes me so I can probably talk her into letting me go. If not, I can bribe her with food. Or wine.” Sabo responded.

Ace looked at him startled. “It’s always the nice ones you gotta watch out for…” He muttered to the side.

Sabo just chuckled. “Yeah. I’ll see what I can do. If you tell Luffy, don’t let him get his hopes up too much because there is still a chance I might not be able to come.”

Ace nodded. “Gotcha.”

“Well, I’ll talk to you later then.” Sabo said, seeing the light turn green for him to walk across. He started walking and waved back at Ace.

“It better be sooner rather than later! I better not have to wait till  _ next year _ to see you.” Ace called after him.

Sabo laughed. “I’ll try!” And he continued walking. Ace watched him leave before turning the direction he had to go. He was not looking forward to Friday. He wasn’t looking forward to tonight either; he had to talk to the old man about Friday first.

“Stupid immunization records…” He mumbled. His light turned green, and he headed home.

**Author's Note:**

> Brownie points to whoever can guess what game Sabo's ringtone is from.  
> If you manage to guess the exact song too? BRUH. ALL THE RESPECT.


End file.
